Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ECE.
Given that peer group placement is used only from junior kindergarten to grade 9, what steps is the department taking to ensure that students who are advanced with an education program plan are actually developing the foundational skills they need before entering grade 10 where peer group placement is no longer an option. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Dehcho. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the course of this term and the previous term, this was an issue and a concern that Members have consistently raised, and so I want to thank Members of the 19th and 20th Assembly for continuing to raise this concern.
We've introduced a standardized grade transition process. It's territory-wide so that there is a standard process that's followed with teachers across the territory in how grade transitions occur. And this is critical in ensuring that we're also not only treating those grade transitions the same way but also making sure that we're providing supports in the same way to the students that need them. So that's number one.
Number two is ensuring that the teachers and school-based support team are working with parents.
And then the third one, I would say, is that review on inclusive schooling that we're doing right now because that is ultimately where the rubber hits the road is those supports that our students need in the classroom to ensure that their individualized education plan can be followed. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When students do not meet the most grade-level expectations, a school-based support team must review evidence of learning and identify supports. What additional interventions or instructional strategies is the department putting in place to ensure these supports are delivered consistently across the territory so learning gaps do not follow students from grade to grade and -- yeah. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, ensuring that we have a standard process across the territory so that we can support teachers in this work as well as supporting students. So step one is that standardized process that I was talking about for teachers. And then step two is adjusting our inclusive schooling directive to really meet students with where they're at right now. We know that that directive is a decade old and our students have changed tremendously in the last decade, including the supports that they need across the Northwest Territories. And making sure that that directive is current and that the supports that go along with it are properly funded is going to be key for ensuring that students have the supports they need in our classrooms. Thank you.
Thank you, Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from the Dehcho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The peer group placement process requires families to be informed and involved in decisions about their child's learning needs. How is the department improving communication with parents and guardians to ensure they fully understand the implications of peer group placement and the programming their child will receive in the next grade? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, the Member is right. In the previous Assembly, there was a change made in regulation that made it a requirement that parents were involved in this decision-making. And that's a relationship and a conversation that happens right from the child's school to the family. And so it's the teacher and the school-based support team that participate together with the family to ensure that they have all of the decisions and all of the options in front of them as well as the details of the child's individualized education plan so that together those decisions can be made. But it's critically important that families are involved in that decision-making and can continue to support their child at home as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
